There are roughly 5,000 different species of lady birds in the world. These much loved critters are also known as lady beetles & lady bugs, and in many cultures they’re considered good luck. Most people like ladybirds because they are pretty, graceful & harmless to humans. They eat aphids & other plant eating pests. The ladybirds bright colours act as a defence mechanism, warning animals they best not eat them. When threatened, the bugs secrete an oily, yukky, yellow fluid from the joints of their legs. These brilliant bugs have another trick to avoid danger, they remain still & pretend to be dead. During Spring & summer they are most active, these incredible insects can be seen fluttering around or walking on the leaves of plants. When the weather turns cold in Autumn they go in to hibernation.
Blog & Research – Mark Burton
Photographs – On My plot (14)
